Ruth Aminu
Kogi State University, Nigeria
Title: Isolation of plasmids from antimicrobial resistant faecal Escherichia coli
Biography
Biography: Ruth Aminu
Abstract
Resistance of bacteria to antibiotics poses a serious threat to humanity as it is associated with treatment failure. Plasmids provide the machinery for transferring genetically encoded materials such as antibiotic resistance within bacterial populations. Commensal bacteria like Escherichia coli in the gut are likely sources of antibiotic resistance genes, especially, if they harbour resistance genes. To assess the plasmid harbouring profile of commensal E. coli, 40 antibiotic resistant isolates from children (n=10), adult humans (n=10), chicken (n=10), and cattle (n=10) were screened for presence of plasmid DNA using the alkaline phosphatase method and gel electrophoresis. The plasmid carrying rate of the isolates was 60%. All isolates (100%) from chicken harboured plasmids. Occurrence rates of plasmids from other sources were as follows: 70% in isolates from children, 40% in human adult isolates, and 30% in cattle isolates. This result indicates that presence of plasmid in commensal E. coli is significantly associated with source of isolates (X2=12.500; p<0.05). The high plasmid profile of the isolates suggests the potential risk of these commensals to human health.